THE
mOZART REQUIEm NOVEMBER &
DECEMBER
20
&
21,
2 019
Holiday Cheer! TICKETS ON SALE NOW! DENVERPHILHARMONIC.ORG
WELCOME! We are so glad you are able to join us for this spectacular concert collaboration between three outstanding organizations: Central City Opera, Denver Philharmonic Orchestra and Performing Arts Academy Festival Chorus composed of students from Mountain Vista and ThunderRidge High Schools. Featuring a powerhouse lineup of Central
the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra are
City Opera soloists, the wonderful Denver
seasoned anchors of the Colorado music
Philharmonic Orchestra and a young,
scene, but this exciting partnership brings
talented chorus from Performing Arts
fresh ears to some of the most stunning
Academy, this concert showcases a broad
compositions ever written.
group of local artists collaborating to bring classical masterpieces to life. Collaboration is one of the core values
The acoustically breathtaking space is the perfect setting for a dramatic experience that features works from
of the performing arts and this concert
Rossini, Ponchielli and Borodin,
is a wonderful way to showcase some of
culminating with Mozart’s Requiem,
the finest musical talent Colorado has
a haunting piece that the composer
to offer. With a combined local history
was finalizing before his untimely death.
of 150+ years, Central City Opera and
Thank you for joining us!
Pelham G. Pearce, Jr.
Lawrence Golan
Dr. James Ramsey
General/Artistic Director
Music Director/Conductor
Executive Director
Central City Opera
Denver Philharmonic
Performing Arts Academy
T H E M O Z A R T R E Q U I E M   3
NOVEMBER 15 & 16, 2019
THE mOZART REqUIEm CENTRAL CITY OPERA DENVER PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY FESTIVAL CHORUS FEATURING MOUNTAIN VISTA HIGH SCHOOL AND THUNDERRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL Antonia Brico Stage at Central Presbyterian Church · Denver, Colorado · 7:30 pm & 3:00 pm
Lawrence Golan, conductor Anna Christy, soprano Abigail Nims, mezzo-soprano Matthew Plenk, tenor Eric J. McConnell, bass In collaboration with Central City Opera and The Performing Arts Academy featuring students from Mountain Vista and ThunderRidge High Schools, prepared by Dr. James Ramsey GIOACHINO ROSSINI
La gazza ladra Overture AMILCARE PONCHIELLI
“Dance of the Hours” from La Gioconda ALEXANDER BORODIN
“Polovetsian Dances” from Prince Igor ∙ 20-MINUTE INTERMISSION ∙
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WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Requiem Introitus: Requiem aeternam Kyrie Sequenz Dies irae Tuba mirum Rex tremendae Recordare Confutatis Lacrimosa Offertorium Domine Jesu Hostias Sanctus Sanctus Benedictus Agnus Dei Communio: Lux aeterna
Due to the sublime nature of Mozart’s Requiem, we request that applause be held until the end of the entire piece.
T H E M O Z A R T R E Q U I E M 5
LAWRENCE GOLAN CONDUCTOR/MUSIC DIRECTOR, DENVER PHILHARMONIC Acclaimed for his vibrant, inspired performances, imaginative programming and evocative command of different styles and composers, American conductor Lawrence Golan has developed a reputation as a dynamic, charismatic communicator. He has conducted throughout the United States, around the world and continues to develop relationships with orchestras nationally and abroad. Lawrence has served as music director of Denver Philharmonic Orchestra since 2013, the Yakima Symphony Orchestra in Washington state since 2010 and Pennsylvania’s York Symphony Orchestra since 2014. He is also music director of Colorado’s Lamont Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theatre at the University of Denver. Highlights from recent seasons include return engagements with Italy’s Orchestra Sinfonica Città di Grosseto, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Portland Ballet Company and the Colorado Music Festival as well as debuts with Italy’s Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo, Mexico’s Orquesta de Cámara de Bellas Artes, China’s Wuhan Philharmonic, the Maui Pops Orchestra, the Batumi Music Festival in Georgia, Eastern Europe and a 14-city tour of China with the Denver Philharmonic. A native of Chicago, Lawrence’s previous positions include Resident Conductor, Phoenix Symphony (2006–2010), Music Director, Phoenix Youth Symphony (2006–2009), Music Director, Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestras (2002–2006), founder and Artistic Director, Atlantic Chamber Orchestra (1998–2003), Music Director, Portland Ballet Company (1997–2013) and Music Director, Southern Maine Symphony Orchestra (1990–2001). Lawrence and his wife Cecilia have two young children. 6
PELHAM G. PEARCE, JR. GENERAL/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, CENTRAL CITY OPERA Pelham G. Pearce, Jr. was selected in 1996 as Managing Director and named General/Artistic Director of Central City Opera in 1998. During his 23-year tenure, Pearce has set forth the company’s current artistic mission of balancing traditional and progressive works. Central City Opera’s national/international reputation has been elevated with American premieres such as Gloriana in 2001 and world premieres including the new Chinese opera, Poet Li Bai, in 2007, garnering press coverage all over the world. Nationally, he has served as Chairman of the Grants Review Panel for the National Endowment for the Arts, as a juror for the Rosa Ponselle International Voice Competition and Regional Met Auditions and as a Board Member for OPERA America. In May of 2013, Mr. Pearce received the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Award for the Arts and Humanities.
DR. JAMES RAMEY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY James Ramsey is Executive Director for the Performing Arts Academy and Director of Music and Arts at St. Luke’s UMC. Previous engagements include college instruction positions at the University of Colorado, University of Denver and Whitman College in Washington. Additionally, James also served as Artistic Director for the Wesley Choral Festival and Assistant Conductor of the Grammy award-winning San Francisco Symphony Chorus. James earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Literature and Performance at the University of Colorado, Boulder, a Master of Music degree in Conducting at the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor of Music Education at Middle Tennessee State University. He resides in Littleton with his wife, Leigh, and their sons, Jack, and Luke. T H E M O Z A R T R E Q U I E M 7
ANNA CHRISTY SOPRANO Anna Christy begins the 2019/20 season with a return to Carnegie Hall for Hisaishi’s East Land Symphony, followed by returns to Colorado Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa Music Academy and Central City Opera as Julie Jordan in Carousel. On the concert stage, Anna has performed opera and concert repertoire with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The English Concert, San Francisco Symphony and other orchestras across the U.S. Anna has performed principal roles at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Opera National de Paris, Royal Opera House, Santa Fe Opera, Bavarian State Opera and Teatro alla Scala, among others. A Denver area resident, Anna has performed many roles at Central City Opera and appeared with Opera Colorado and Colorado Symphony.
ABIGAIL NIMS MEZZO-SOPRANO Mezzo-soprano Abigail Nims has established herself as a musician of integrity and versatility, garnering praise for her performances of repertoire from the baroque to contemporary premieres. Acclaimed for her committed interpretations and tonal beauty in the concert repertoire, Abigail has performed as soloist with renowned orchestras and festivals across the United States. In Colorado, Abigail and has appeared as soloist with the Colorado Symphony, the Colorado Music Festival, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, the Boulder Philharmonic, the Colorado MahlerFest and she is a regular soloist with the Colorado Bach Ensemble.
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MATTHEW PLENK TENOR Matthew was a soloist at the Denver Philharmonic’s Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor in the spring and is thrilled to be back! A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Matthew made his Metropolitan Opera debut in the 2007–2008 season as the Sailor’s Voice in Tristan und Isolde under the baton of Maestro James Levine, a role he repeated under the baton of Daniel Barenboim. He has since returned to the Met as Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Janek in The Makropolous Case, the Song Seller in Il Tabarro and Marcellus in Hamlet and appeared as Arturo in the Met’s 2011 tour of Japan. Other operatic engagements have included performances with the Los Angeles Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Virginia Opera, Atlanta Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City and the Des Moines Metro Opera.
ERIC J. McCONNELL BASS-BARITONE Eric, a Denver native, is quickly garnering acclaim in the American opera community for his distinctive dramatic voice and his theatrical interpretations of both comic and tragic characters. He began the 2019–2020 season with a return as an opera fellow to the Aspen Music Festival, where he performed the Sodbuster in Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up and covered Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro. He then returned as an artist in residence at Opera Colorado, where he recently performed as Bartolo in the student matinee performance of Il barbiere di Siviglia.
T H E M O Z A R T R E Q U I E M 9
CENTRAL CITY OPERA Central City Opera’s mission is to sing extraordinary stories to spark imagination, inspire creativity and open minds to the breadth of human experience. Founded in 1932, Central City Opera is the
above sea level in the Colorado mountain
fifth oldest professional opera company in
town of Central City, only 35 miles west
the country and is renowned for exquisite
of Denver, where the company owns and
world-class productions, a competitive
maintains 28 Victorian-era properties,
and robust young artist training program
including the intimate 550-seat jewel box
and creative education and community
opera house built in 1878. Learn more at
engagement activities. The annual summer
centralcityopera.org.
opera festival takes place at 8,500 feet
OUR STAFF
DEVELOPMENT
Pelham G. Pearce, Jr., General/Artistic Director Scott A. Dessens, CPA, CGMA, Chief Financial Officer John Baril, Music Director John Moriarty, Artistic Director Emeritus Michael Baitzer, Director/Administrator, Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program
Scott Finlay, Director of Development Katherine Nicholson, Associate Director of Development Clare K. Mail, Assistant Director of Development Jenaveve Linabary, Development Operations Manager Jeremy Schwartz, Events Coordinator
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Sara Blackwelder, Controller Ana Carrera, Accounting Clerk Wanda Larson, Office Administrator/Gift Shop Buyer
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HISTORIC PROPERTIES Eric Chinn, Director of Historic Properties Sam Carrington, Historic Property Maintenance
MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS Gail Bransteitter, Director of Marketing and Communications Erin Osovets, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications Margaret Siegrist, Marketing Content Manager
BOX OFFICE Deb Mountain, Sales Operations Manager Rachelle Cole, Box Office Associate
EDUCATION Emily Murdock, Director of Education, Podcast Host and Producer
PRODUCTION Karen T. Federing, Director of Production
MUSIC AND COACHING STAFF John Baril, Music Director and Conductor Angela Dombrowski, Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager Kirby Brayman, Assistant to the Music Director
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Judith W. Grant, Chairman Roopesh Aggarwal, President Dr. Gregg Kvistad, Treasurer Michael Huseby, Secretary Nancy S. Parker, Immediate Past Chairman J. Landis Martin, Chairman Emeritus Daniel L. Ritchie, Chairman Emeritus Margaret Baker Pamela Bansbach Maureen K. Barker Kristin Bender Nancy P. Brittain Linda Fullerton Clark Melinda Couzens Michelle Moritz Dorman Ronald Engels Richard A. Goozh Heath C. Hutchison Kevin Kearney Hilton G. Martin Anne McGonagle Heather Kemper Miller Mark Ragan Susan B. Rawley Sarah Rogers Raquel Schaps Laura Trask Schneider Brian M. Weldon Robert “Sonny” Wiegand II Carole J. Yaley
T H E M O Z A R T R E Q U I E M 1 1
DENVER PHILHARMONIC With 70+ seasons under our belt, we may be one of Denver’s oldest orchestras, but we certainly don’t act our age. Dr. Antonia Brico, the first woman to con-
for a classical music venue to showcase
duct the New York Philharmonic Orchestra
the talents of local, classically trained
in 1938, founded our organization in 1948
musicians “with no place to play.”
as the Denver Businessmen’s Orchestra. Antonia settled in Denver after conducting professional orchestras across Europe and the U.S. She debuted our orchestra to a packed auditorium explaining the need
Our mission is to continually redefine the way our community experiences and engages with classical music. Learn more at denverphilharmonic.org.
Lawrence Golan
Emmy Reid Elizabeth Wall Joy Yamaguchi
ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR
SECOND VIOLIN
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Taylor Gonzales
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Kurt Henning
FIRST VIOLIN Katherine Thayer, concertmaster Anna Katherine Barnett-Hart, associate concertmaster Ximena Calderon Matthew Grove Thomas Jatko Beth Letendre Chad MacDonald Ylana Padgett
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Yiran Li, principal Niccolo Werner Casewit Valerie Clausen Terri Gonzales Annie Laury Callista Medland Alyssa Oland Brian Ross Erica Secor Anne Silvas
Kaylin Jarriel Samantha Lichtin Ben Luey Beth Remming Julie Rooney Vince Vuong
CELLO Katie Burns, principal Naftari Burns Mike Marecak Shirley Marecak Monica Sáles Council Amanda Thall Rachel Yanovitch
VIOLA
DOUBLE BASS
Annie Zagorski, acting principal Natasia Boyko Chris Costello Naomi Croghan Lori Hanson Jessica Hitt
Colton Kelley, principal Xadie Antonio Lucy Bauer Megan Gore Brazell Taryn Galow Kurt Henning
FLUTE
TRUMPET
Whitney Kelley, principal Catherine Ricca Lanzano Joshua Hall
Colton Crandell, acting principal Ariel Van Dam
PICCOLO
TROMBONE
Joshua Hall
David Ellis, principal Louis DeScala
OBOE Kimberly Brody, principal Loren Meaux, assistant principal
ENGLISH HORN Loren Meaux
CLARINET Kwami Barnett, principal Claude Wilbur
BASSOON Ken Greenwald, principal Sara Laupp
HORN Kim George, acting principal Melissa Ciener Kelli Hirsch Jeanine Branting
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Steve Bulota, principal
Jon Olafson, President Matt Meier, Vice-President Tamara Arredondo, Secretary Erica Secor, Treasurer Dr. Robert Dallenbach Heather Alcott Moritz Sean Murphy Tenley Oldak Krista Picco Esteban Romero Mark Rossman Edward Smith Maureen Keil, Honorary Member
PERCUSSION
VOLUNTEER STAFF
BASS TROMBONE Daniel Morris
TUBA Darren DeLaup, principal
TIMPANI
Ross Coons, principal John Garvin Sean Case
HARP Rebecca Moritzky, principal Section strings and percussion are listed alphabetically.
Valerie Clausen, Executive Director Joel Dallenbach, Recordist Taryn Galow, Stage Manager Annie Laury, Personnel Manager Loren Meaux, Stage Manager Patricia Meaux, More Than Music Manager Alyssa Oland, Music Librarian Layne Perkins, Concession Manager Emmy Reid, Stage Manager Carrie Tremblatt, Lobby Manager Joanna Watkins, Hall Manager
T H E M O Z A R T R E Q U I E M   1 3
PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMY Performing Arts Academy is a nonprofit theater arts company based in South Denver/Highlands Ranch focused on creating community, building character, and inspiring excellence through performing arts education by bringing the transformative power of theatre to all people. PAA offers classes for students grades
a deep appreciation for music and the arts
Pre-K–12 that focus on performance, dance,
including: international concerts in various
music, voice, set design, show production,
parts of Europe, Disney performance
and more, as well as produce full theatrical
workshops, festivals at Carnegie Hall in
productions in the spring, fall, and summer.
NYC, local masterworks collaborations,
We are the only theater company in the
and various honor and all state choirs.
greater Denver area using curriculum based instruction that follows or aligns with state standards for music and arts education. At PAA we place great emphasis on building every child’s strength of character. Students learn principals and values alongside practical performance skills.
MOUNTAIN VISTA HIGH SCHOOL
THUNDERRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL The ThunderRidge High School Honors Choir is a mixed choir of auditioned students that has achieved a Division 1 rating at all CHSAA events under the direction of Mr. Ryan Wolterstorff. Additionally, the Honors Choir has won “Grand Champion” at the Winter Park
Mountain Vista High School Goldtones
Music Festival multiple times and has
is the advanced mixed choir at Mountain
been selected to perform at the CMEA
Vista High School, and was founded
(Colorado Music Educators Association)
in 2001. Throughout the years, the
conference in January 2020 at the
Goldtones have had several performance
Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
opportunities to enrich lives and cultivate
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FESTIVAL CHORUS Gabe Adams Haven Adams Cay Allen Cooper Atchison Brian Avner Ainsley Baker Naomi Barela Brynn Boeyink Ben Brady Kendall Bull Matthew Cadol Bella Cappello Benjamin Caskey Emerson Chatwin Rileigh Chatwin Tessa Corcoran Jackson Crumpler Ryann Culbertson Jonathan Dixon Koby Dixon Tyler Dixon Hannah Farris Emma Fisher Rachel Gale Brynn Garner Leah Garner Samantha Garvey Scott Green Ryan Gipson-Halstead Sarah Grimm Shea Hennessee James Henninger Aaron Howell Hannah Hubbell Joyce Hume Tristan Johnson Dashiell Keiffer Sarah Killion Carson Knox
McKenna Kropatich Hailey Larson Ryan LaTourrette Jeremy Liebe Kendal Mabry Zach Mackin Noelle Martin Ella McKnight Katelyn McDowell Callista Medland Emma Munger Danielle Nasser Connor O’Brien Annie Osmun Megan Ott Oaklee Peterson Owen Pontius Megan Riffel Thaddeus Roman IV Matthew Schroer Olivia Smith Megan Sorensen Erika Steinsvaag Lily Suchomel Delaney Sweeney Emily Tateyama Collin Thomas Shannon Tiffenbach Estelle Tiongson Joshua Toney Macey Wadman Olivia Walton Bonnie Wann Brandon Wardell Ethan Wilson Avery Wong Katelynn Young Peter Young Avery Zakroff
MOUNTAIN VISTA HIGH SCHOOL Maja Buck, Vocal Music Director Michael Weaver, Principal Rob Ceglie, Assistant Principal Alan Long, Assistant Principal Rob Peterson, Assistant Principal Heidi Schuster, Assistant Principal
THUNDERRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL Ryan Woltersdorff, Vocal Music Director Nikki Ballow, Principal Jennifer Carroll, Assistant Principal Amy McCarty, Assistant Principal Scott Patterson, Assistant Principal
Performing Arts Academy Festival Chorus is joined by members of the Central City Opera Touring Artists ensemble.
T H E M O Z A R T R E Q U I E M 1 5
CONCERT ETIQUETTE If you are attending your first (or 300th) classical music concert, below are some frequently asked questions to help make your experience more enjoyable. BE COMFORTABLE There’s no dress code. From jeans to suits, you’ll see it all! We love you just the way you are.
COUGHING Ahem… Try to ‘bury’ your cough in a loud passage of music. If you can’t, or you begin to cough a lot, don’t worry — it’s perfectly acceptable and appropriate to quietly exit the concert hall. Remember to
and wait; there’s no need to applaud if you’re not feelin’ it. For long masses like Mozart’s Requiem, we do ask that you hold your applause until the end.
PACK IT IN, PACK IT OUT You’re welcome to bring a water bottle into the hall, but remember “Trail Rules” — pack it in, pack it out. (This goes for trash too!)
unwrap cough drops before the concert so
ELECTRONICS
you don’t create crackling noises.
Please turn the sound off on your cell phones, pagers and any other noise-
APPLAUSE 101 In earlier times, audiences would routinely
making device, including vibrate mode.
applaud between movements to show
CRY ROOM
their joy for the music they just heard.
Child feelin’ fidgety? We have a designat-
Then around the mid-19th century, it
ed cry room in the back of the lobby on
became tradition to wait until the end of
the right side of the main level.
the piece to clap, with the audience sitting silent between movements. Here, we welcome both traditions. If you prefer to wait for the end of a piece to clap, please do. Some movements are fiery and end in such a flare that you may feel compelled to clap — go for it! After a quiet movement, you may want to enjoy the feeling of transfixion 16
HAVE FUN! ! Rules, rules, rules — we know, it can be overwhelming. The most important rule of all is to have fun and enjoy yourself. And then tell all your friends and come back again and again!
THE MOZART REQUIEM • NOVEMBER 15 & 16 by ELIZABETH SCHWARTZ
All four works on tonight’s program feature music that has found its way into popular culture. Fans of the Oscar-winning 1984 film Amadeus will remember the scene in which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, on his deathbed, dictates unfinished parts of the Requiem to his rival Salieri. Stanley Kubrick used Gioachino Rossini’s playful overture to La gazza ladra in his 1971 film, A Clockwork Orange, to chilling effect, while Amilcare Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours” is indelibly associated with Alan Sherman’s 1963 hit single, “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp),” as well as with dancing hippos and crocodiles from Disney’s 1940 animated extravaganza, Fantasia. Alexander Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances” originated as a ballet in his unfinished opera, Prince Igor, but fans of the Tony award-winning musical Kismet know it better as the romantic ballad, “Stranger in Paradise.”
T H E M O Z A R T R E Q U I E M 1 7
Overture to La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie) Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) Gioachino Rossini’s opera, La gazza ladra, based on the 1815 French play, La pie voleuse (The Thieving Magpie) by Théodore Baudouin d’Aubigny and LouisCharles Caigniez, tells the story of a servant girl convicted of stealing a silver spoon. Moments before her execution, the real thief is revealed: a mischievous magpie. In the early 1800s, opera overtures generally bore no musical relationship to the operas they preceded. Overtures served as a signal to the audience that the evening’s entertainment was about to begin; their musical content might foreshadow the emotional range of the opera, but did not usually include any of the opera’s actual themes. Some composers like Mozart and Rossini, who could rely on their inexhaustible supply of musical ideas, put off composing overtures until the last possible moment. La gazza ladra opens with snare drum rolls, a sound not commonly heard in early 19th century opera. These rolls punctuate the overture, which also features a military march; playful tunes that hint at the magpie’s roguish antics and a waltz-cum-march.
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AT A GLANCE • Composer: born February 29, 1792, Pesaro, Italy; died November 13, 1868, Passy, Paris • Work composed: 1817 • World premiere: Milan, in the Teatro de La Scala, on May 31, 1817 • Instrumentation: piccolo, flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, bass trombone, timpani, bass drum, 2 snare drums, triangle and strings • Estimated duration: 9 minutes
T H E M O Z A R T R E Q U I E M 1 9
“Dance of the Hours” from La Gioconda Amilcare Ponchielli (1834–1886) In his own lifetime, Amilcare Ponchielli enjoyed considerable renown as a composer of opera and music for wind band. Today, Ponchielli is best known for his ballet “Dance of the Hours,” from La Gioconda, the only one of his operas still regularly performed. Through its many parodies and other adaptations, “Dance of the Hours” has become a classical music meme familiar to almost everyone, although few know its original author. In its original context, “Dance of the Hours,” which occurs near the end of Act III of La Gioconda, serves as a respite from the looming tragedy about to overtake the title character, her lover Enzo and her rival Laura. The evil Alvise, head of the Venetian Inquisition, has decreed that Laura must die by ingesting poison. To save Laura, La Gioconda sneaks into Alvise’s palace and replaces the deadly poison with a powerful sleeping potion. Meanwhile, Alvise invites the local nobility (including a disguised Enzo) to his palace for the evening and entertains them with the “Dance of the Hours,” a five-part ballet representing the different parts of a 24-hour day: dawn, daylight, dusk, night and sunrise the following morning. Listeners will immediately recognize “Daylight” and the second dawn, in the form of a whirlwind cancan. The party breaks up at the tolling of a funeral bell, as Laura’s seemingly lifeless body is revealed to the shocked revelers.
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AT A GLANCE • Composer: born August 31, 1834, Paderno Fasolaro [now Paderno Ponchielli], Italy; died January 16, 1886, Milan • Work composed: 1876 • World premiere: April 8, 1876, at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan • Instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, glockenspiel, triangle, harp and strings • Estimated duration: 9 minutes
T H E M O Z A R T R E Q U I E M 2 1
“Polovtsian Dances” from Prince Igor Alexander Borodin (1833–1887) Alexander Borodin—like the other members of the Kucha, or Mighty Five (a nickname for a group of influential 19th century composers based in St. Petersburg that included Mily Balakirev, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov)— wrote music in his spare time. A chemist by occupation, Borodin made significant contributions to both his profession and his avocation. The Kucha aspired to create authentically Russian music, free from the domination of Germanic aesthetics. To this end, the Kucha featured indigenous folk songs and dances from different regions of the Russian empire. Borodin used folk dance tunes most effectively in his unfinished opera Prince Igor, the tale of 12th-century prince Igor Sviatoslavich’s failed attempt to stop the invading Polovtsian Tatars in 1185. In the opera’s second act, Igor and his son are captured and held in the Polovtsian military camp. To pass the time, the Polovtsians sing and dance for the captive Russians. The opera Prince Igor has had a fitful performance history, but the ballet sequence known as the “Polovtsian Dances” quickly became a stand-alone orchestral piece and Borodin’s most popular and most performed music.
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AT A GLANCE • Composer: born November 12, 1833, St. Petersburg; died February 27, 1887, St. Petersburg • Work composed: Borodin worked on Prince Igor from 18691874 and intermittently thereafter, but it remained uncompleted at the time of his death. Borodin’s friend and colleague, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, orchestrated the Polovtsian Dances. • World premiere: Eduard Nápravnik led the first performance of Prince Igor on November 16, 1890, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg • Instrumentation: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes (1 doubling English horn), 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, glockenspiel, snare drum, suspended cymbal, tambourine, triangle, harp and strings • Estimated duration: 14 minutes
T H E M O Z A R T R E Q U I E M 2 3
Requiem, K. 626 (Süssmayr) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756–1791)
The mysterious circumstances surrounding Mozart’s Requiem have lent the work an enduring aura of romance and intrigue. The real story of the Requiem is no less compelling, but ultimately it is the music itself that endures. The dramatic power of Mozart’s final composition highlights the austere and ultimately redemptive language of the text of the requiem mass. In the summer of 1791, Count Franz Walsegg von Stuppach sent a messenger to Mozart with an anonymous commission for a requiem to honor Walsegg’s late wife. Walsegg, an amateur musician, had a habit of commissioning works from wellknown composers and claiming them as his own; hence the need for anonymity and subterfuge. Mozart, whose financial situation was always precarious, accepted the commission and completed several sketches before putting the Requiem aside to finish his operas The Magic Flute and La clemenza di Tito. By October 1791, in failing health, Mozart returned to the Requiem; he completed the Introit, Kyrie, most of the Sequence and the Offertory before his death on December 5. Mozart’s widow Constanze, facing a mountain of debt, asked one of Mozart’s students, Franz Xaver Süssmayr, to complete the remaining sections. Süssmayr agreed, using unfinished sketches and possibly ideas discussed with Mozart prior to the composer’s death to compose the Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei sections. In the Communion, Süssmayr repeats music Mozart had previously used in the Introit and Kyrie. Meticulous attention to the meaning of the text of the Requiem dictates the musical structure throughout. The chorus’ heartfelt pleading in the opening lines, “Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine” (Grant them eternal rest, O God), are set in a dark minor key. This is transformed into a promise of glowing eternity in 24
the next sentence, “Et lux perpetua luceat
the fugue from the Sanctus follows. With
eis” (and may perpetual light shine upon
the Agnus Dei, the chorus and orchestra
them) as the music moves into a major key.
return to the darkly shifting mood of the
The strong Kyrie (Lord, have mercy/Christ,
opening movement. This culminates in
have mercy) emerges as a somber fugue,
the Communio, which uses the music
Mozart’s homage to J. S. Bach.
of the opening Requiem aeternam and
The Sequence begins with the Dies irae (Day of Wrath), whose fiery, agitated setting and orchestral accompaniment bring the terrible fury of the text frighteningly alive. In the Tuba mirum, the bass soloist and solo trombone proclaim the Day of Judgment. The chorus returns to beg for
concludes with the same fugue used in the Kyrie, this time setting the words “cum sanctis tuis in aeternam” (with Thy saints forever).
AT A GLANCE • Composer: born January 27, 1756,
salvation in the powerful Rex tremendae,
Salzburg, Austria; died December 5,
followed by the more intimate pleading of
1791, Vienna
the Recordare; here, each of the soloists makes a personal petition to God. The thundering Confutatis follows, juxtaposing images of the damned consigned to the flames of hell with that of a supplicant kneeling in prayer. In the exquisite Lacrymosa, the chorus gives voice to grief and weeping, while the sighing violin
• Work composed: 1791. Mozart died before finishing the Requiem; one of his students, Franz Xaver Süssmayr, completed the Requiem using Mozart’s notes and sketches. • World premiere: The first complete performance of Süssmayr’s version was
appoggiaturas echo the text’s laments. In
performed on January 2, 1793, in the
the Offertory, the chorus ends its plea for
Jahn-Saal in Vienna.
mercy with a reminder, in fugal form, of God’s promise to Abraham.
• Instrumentation: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soloists, SATB chorus, 2 bassoons, 2
The Sanctus opens joyfully, as both chorus
basset horns (or clarinets), 2 trumpets, 3
and orchestra sing God’s praises accom-
trombones, timpani, organ and strings
panied by shining exclamations from the brasses and a fugue on the words
• Estimated duration: 50 minutes
“Hosanna in the highest.” The aria-like melody of the soloists’ Benedictus conveys the blessedness of those “who come
© 2019 Elizabeth Schwartz
in the name of the Lord;” a recurrence of
T H E M O Z A R T R E Q U I E M 2 5
BOLDER AND BRIGHTER. THANKS TO SCFD. Inclusion, equity, and diversity are critical values in the mission of SCFD. Residents pay this tax and it is then infused back into nearly 300 diverse cultural organizations in our seven-county metro region. This funding makes culture in our community available and affordable to all children and adults. You may have noticed that ticket prices at our cultural venues are more affordable than at similar institutions in other states. SCFD reduces the operating expenses of the organizations it supports and allows them to offer lower-cost pricing. There are more than 100 free days offered across the spectrum of cultural organizations each year. Awe and wonder are not only available, but accessible to all. Learn more at scfd.org.
303-292-6500
720-440-0818
303-900-7041
centralcityopera.org
denverphilharmonic.org
paacolorado.org
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P ER FORM ING ARTS ACADE M Y
SPRING CLASS REGISTRATION
NOW OPEN
PAA We seek to transform our community and our world through a generation of students who are confident in their self-worth, understand the importance of serving their community, and recognize the value in our individual differences.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT US
paa-ccopera.com
producer@paacolorado.org 303-900-7041